an undergroud orchid

[smashed1]

hi all just found this amazing orchid on earthsky.org

 

its a parasitic underground orchid wich has only 37 genes in its chloroplast, draws its nutes from fungus that lives symbiotically with a shrub.

its only in western ozz , lives all its life under ground , and they think it gets pollyniated from termites that fall in an climb out,

 

so just thout id put it in incase anyone is interested , ill check it out prop tomoz ive never herd of it before

[MongyMan]

Very interesting smashed1

 

Peace MM

[Reverend]

Brilliant, where we are we have a few native orchids as well, besides the donkey orchid we have a sun orchid which lives under ground until spring.

There are few others we have as well.

http://www.gdaywa.com/wildflowers/perth_hills/winter.php

[HaonNoitarepo]

Thanks for the pics your holiness, brilliant colours no wonder WA is considered the wildflower state.

[Auntynorm]

G'day Troops.

 

Australia has a myriad collection of orchids, all sorts, terrestrial, epiphytic etc. In the tropics there are hundreds of dendrobiums. The coastal ranges around Port Douglas and north of there are swarming with them. In the 18th and 19th century the poms sent out many, many ships that went back chocka with Cooktown orchids for collections in Europe. In flower some times up there, the rain forest is just a riot of colour from flowering dendrobiums. I have a soft spot for them. I have 1 terestrial orchid growing here and it seems to be doing reasonably well without flowering yet, but I'm still trying to find an ideal spot for it as it's in a large pot. At the moment it's on top of the freezer in the back porch and has new growth on it, so we shall see. :guitar: